


Stop and Smell the Roses

by Komoru



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Established Relationship, F/M, Fluff, Gen, Sickfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-26
Updated: 2019-05-26
Packaged: 2020-03-19 18:24:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,513
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18975826
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Komoru/pseuds/Komoru
Summary: Makoto reminds Ren that it's okay to stop and smell the roses every once in a while.





	Stop and Smell the Roses

**Author's Note:**

> I have no idea how this came to be, but here it is. It's not beta read and probably messy as hell. But I liked the idea of Makoto taking care of a sick-ish Ren, and reminding him to slow down. It's also sort of a beta test for me, I have so many other ideas for Persona 5 fics and I want to try and get the characters down before I commit to a multichapter idea. 
> 
> So enjoy this little one-shot! I'd love to hear some constructive feedback too, it's been forever since I've written anything and I feel like my style changes as the years go on.

Ren was a busy person. Between being the leader of the Phantom Thieves and being a normal, high school student, his personal life was a bit hectic to say the least. Nearly every day he had commitments with someone. People relied on him in one way or another.

Ryuji was relying on him to uncover the truth about the track team.

Iwai was relying on him to help balance the store and to keep his son safe.

Hifumi was relying on him to help her eventually confront her mother.

The list went on and on. Ren was thankful that there was a calendar app on his phone, or else he’d never keep track.

So many people relied on him.

Which meant he had to be there for them.

Unfortunately, the universe had other plans in store for Ren.

Since the morning, Ren fought back the itching feeling in his throat and the urge to sneeze every five minutes.

He wasn’t quite sure when it started, maybe sometime the day before. Ren wanted to pass it off as a sign that maybe he wasn’t drinking enough water. The itchy throat could be a dry throat, right? Or perhaps there was just too much pollen in the air.

Ren tried hard to convince himself that was the case. He tried drinking more water, but there was a small part of him that laughed at the attempt.

The day went by slowly, and once school was done, Ryuji was immediately by Ren’s desk.

“Yo! Are you ready to head out?”

Ryuji was beaming with excitement. The previous night, the blonde texted Ren in the dead hours of the morning. And, unfortunately for Ren, he didn’t turn do not disturb on.

The reason for the important text message was that “The Cake Knight Rises” was now showing in theaters across Japan. According to Ryuji, it was one of his favorites, and he invited Ren out.

It was one of the few days Ren had free, and he figured it would help take Ryuji’s mind off the track team scenario. How could he say no?

But the itchiness in his throat was starting to feel worse. Ren was almost going to say no. However, the pure excitement on Ryuji’s face made him hesitate.

“Yeah. Let me gather my stuff and I’ll meet you outside the gate.” He put on his best smile, which seemed to satisfy Ryuji. He grinned back and nodded, heading out of the classroom.

As soon as he was out of sight, Ren sighed and sunk onto the desk. He buried his face in his arms. It was then he realized his forehead was slightly warm to the touch.

Morgana popped his head out from beneath.

“Hey, you sure you’re feeling alright to go? You seem tired. Maybe we should head home so you can rest.”

Ren sat back up a bit too fast and his head spun for a moment. He brushed it off and gathered his notebooks.

“I’ll be fine. Also, isn’t it a bit early for you to be telling me to go to bed?”

He couldn’t help but grin in satisfaction when that quieted Morgana. He didn’t hear a word from him after that. Ren relished in the silent victory and headed out of the classroom.

 

* * *

 

The movie was interesting to say the least. It wasn’t Ren’s favorite by any means, but Ryuji enjoyed it enough. At least, he thought he did.

He had his arms wrapped around his school bag. Morgana’s popped out slightly, just enough so he, too, could enjoy the movie. Ren couldn’t tell if it was because of Morgana’s commentary or because of Ryuji’s gasps and sniffles but he found it hard to keep focused on the movie. The itchiness in his throat developed into a dry spot in the back of his throat. Water didn’t seem to fix it anymore, so he gave up on that.

The conversation that followed the movie was a blur to Ren. Ryuji was talking about how the movie was thought provoking and really hit him in the “feels”. Ren could only nod and agree. He didn’t want to risk using his voice more than he had to at this point.

The trip back to Leblanc felt like it took forever. The chit-chatter on the train was just a mumble of words to him, he couldn’t quite understand anyone. It felt like there was a filter over his ears and a pressure on his forehead. And if it wasn’t for Morgana pawing at his side, he would have missed his stop.

Ren hated to admit it, but he was sick.

Part of him couldn’t accept this. He couldn’t be sick. He couldn’t stay home in the tiny attic and cancel his plans throughout the week.

Maybe it was a minor cold, his hopeful side argued. Maybe it could be fixed with one night’s rest and some pills.

Yeah, not happening, his logical side rebutted. He didn’t even realize he’s back home!

A nudge in his side brought Ren back to reality. He was standing outside of Leblanc’s door.

“Get inside already, I’m hungry!” A muffle voice said.

Ren took a deep breath – which was a mistake, he nearly started coughing – and entered the through the door.

When the bell rang, Sojiro glanced over at Ren. A small smile appeared on his face as he lowered his coffee mug. The café was empty, as usual. But there was a rather large pile of dishes in the sink.

“Ah, you’re back. Good timing, I need some help with the dishes if you don’t mind.”

Ren knew he should have said no. He could have easily said he wasn’t feeling well, and he could have headed upstairs to collapse on his futon. 

But he didn’t. Sojiro had warmed up considerably to Ren over the past couple of months, especially after Futaba had opened up to him and the rest of the Thieves. He greeted Ren honestly whenever he returned, offered advice about life or coffee making. It was a side that Ren never thought he’d see.

It was stupid, and maybe it was because he was feeling feverish, but part of him didn’t want to say no to Sojiro.  Washing dishes was a simple task, too.

A genuine smile spread across his face, and Ren nodded.

“Of course.”

 

* * *

 

An hour later and the dishes were spotless. Ren sat in one of the booths with a cup of coffee, holding his facade as Sojiro bid him goodnight and left. It was still in the early evenings, but Futaba wanted him home early. The two were going to go out to pick up a game she had pre-ordered months ago.

The moment the door closed, Ren sunk into the booth and let out a sigh. He felt overheated and his body felt worse somehow. It was concerning how fast he had declined since the morning. He couldn’t even remember the last time he had been sick either.

He felt Morgana hop onto the booth.

“Alright, this time I’m not taking no for an answer! You’re going to bed!” He yowled.

Ren winced at the raised voice and turned his head to look at him.

“Can you keep your voice down? I’m trying to sleep…”

Morgana pouted and headbutted Ren’s hand, a weak attempt to make him move.

“Come on! The bed’s more comfortable, and you’re sick, sleeping down here isn’t gonna do you any good.”

“I’m not sick… just exhausted.” Ren argued.

Despite his argument, Ren stood up and slowly made his way upstairs. He barely registered the fact that his phone was ringing.

Sitting down on the bed, Ren answered the phone after two more rings.

“Hello?”

“Ren? I tried texting you earlier and I didn’t hear back. I was starting to get a bit concerned.” Makoto’s voice was laced with worry.

Oh, shit.

Throughout the day he had been so preoccupied with everything going on, he’d barely checked his phone. Morgana should have reminded him or something. He checked his phone briefly, noticing the time stamps from Makoto’s texts were from this morning and afternoon.

 **Makoto ♛** : Hey, would you happen to be free later this afternoon? (09:20 A.M.)

  
**Makoto ♛** : I was just wondering if you wanted to get some studying done this evening. (09:20 A.M.)

  
**Makoto ♛** : We could make a date out of it... If you want to of course. (14:37 P.M.)

Ren’s heart sank to his stomach. He had somehow missed her texts completely. What’s worse was that he neglected to check the caller ID prior to picking up and didn’t even greet her properly.

He tried clearing his throat, which felt like a knife was going through the back of his throat.

“Y-Yeah, sorry. Allergies are bad today and I’ve been dealing with that. Must have forgotten to check my phone today. Anyway, does my Queen need something?” Ren asked, a hint of playfulness in his voice. He also tried to hide his obvious discomfort by distracting her. It was a worth a try.

There was a pause on her end, and Ren thought his tactic was working. He could just imagine the light blush on her face.

“I was just checking on to make sure you were okay. A-And if we could still make that study date…”

Makoto did a poor job of hiding her nervousness, if she was even trying to hide it at all. And it made Ren feel a bit guilty. Her voice tugged at his heartstrings, and it made him listen to that rather than logic.

“Hey, of course we can. It’s still early in the evening. I think there’s some leftover ingredients in the fridge for some curry, too, if you want. See you in 15?”

He could nearly see Makoto take a breath in, and the smile forming on her face.

“Yes, of course. I’ll be there soon. See you soon.”

The call ended, and Ren flopped down on his bed, covering his face with his arm. He felt the futon move under a new weight. He could feel eyes burning into him, and he lifted his arm to see a very irritated Morgana staring back at him.

Before Morgana could even open his mouth, Ren held up his other hand to pause him.

“Look, before you even say anything, it’s just going to be studying.” He coughed into his elbow. “And to be fair, I haven’t been able to spend much time with her either. Please, just let me have this. I promise I’ll go to bed on time for the next week _and_ get you the best fatty tuna if you keep your mouth shut tonight.”

The not-cat narrowed his eyes at him. It seemed he was weighing his options. Finally, Morgana sighed and hopped into the window sill.

“Fine. I’ll keep quiet, just for you. But I’m holding you to that tuna.”

Ren sighed in relief.

“Thank you.”

He got up from his spot on the futon and the world spun momentarily. Ren waited for it to pass, ignoring the feeling and changed into something more comfortable.

By the time Makoto came over, Ren was changed into a comfortable t-shirt and sweatpants. Two mugs of coffee were waiting on the counter for her, as were plates of leftover curry. She smiled brightly at the small display and slid onto one of the barstools.

“This was sweet of you, thank you.”

Ren returned her smile with a bright one of his own.

“Anything for you, my Queen.”

The light blush on her face was worth everything.

They ate together at the counter top, talking about school and some light Phantom Thieves matters. Makoto began talking about her current project with the student council. She talked about the hoops she had to jump through to get some of the booths set up for the festival. Her frustrations with some of her fellow council members was another subject too.

Ren let her ramble, leaning on the counter top and watching her closely. He didn’t mind it when she rambled, he preferred she got whatever was bothering her off her chest.  She was quite animated too, which made it sort of adorable. Ren noticed she was one who talked with her hands a lot, often using gestures to channel her emotions.  

“—and, I had suggested the haunted house idea, they had turned me down. But when Kazui-chan suggested it, they were all over the idea. It was a bit discouraging, to be honest.”

Makoto sighed in defeat.

Ren closed his eyes and nodded his head in agreement. He’d heard half of her rant, only catching the tail end of it. He wasn’t sure when, but his attention started to fade. Even though he could hear what Makoto was saying, none of it registered in his head.

A moment passed between the two, and Ren heard the bar stool shift on the hardwood floor.

“Ren, I don’t mean to sound rude but… are you listening to me?”

When he opened his eyes, Ren was greeted with Makoto’s face inches away from his. Under normal circumstances, he would have played it cool. He could have replied with something like _Yes, but I was waiting for you to stop so I could kiss you._ But, in his current state, he was slightly startled and averted his gaze from hers. It was like her red eyes burned right through him.

“Uhh, yeah. Yes, I mean. You had the idea first about the haunted maze.”

He waited for a response from her, but she stayed silent. Ren dared to glance back at her. And that was a huge mistake.

Makoto’s red eyes stared at Ren, and her lips were pursed together. He swallowed nervously under her gaze. For the first time in a while, Ren couldn’t tell what was on her mind.

“… I was talking about a haunted _house,_ Ren. Are you sure you’re alright?”

It was then he realized he messed up. His mouth opened to try and give her an excuse, but a cough escaped him before he could even try to hold it back.

That seemed to set Makoto’s alarms off. Her hand flew up to touch his forehead.

Despite his condition, Ren’s reflexes were still as sharp as ever. He caught her hand before she could touch him. Gently moving it down below the counter top, he gave her hand a reassuring squeeze.

“I’m perfectly fine, Makoto. I’m sorry, I zoned out there. It’s been a long day. I’ll get the dishes done and we can head upstairs to study.”

There was no convincing her now. Makoto had that fierce look in her eyes, and her lips were still pursed in a line. Before she could retort, though, Ren stood up suddenly and moved to grab their plates.

That ended up being a mistake.

The world spun violently when he stood up and Ren shut his eyes closed. Vertigo hit him like a truck and forced him to sway. It felt like the floor was slipping out from beneath his feet. Whatever balance he had before was gone, and he gripped Makoto’s hand hard and reached out to lean on the counter top.

Ren knew his facade was up.

Makoto gasped and stood up herself, steadying Ren and gently placed a hand on his back.

“Ren!”

He winced at her voice. Once the world was still again, he opened his eyes and looked away sheepishly.

“Sorry, I-“ a cough forced it way out. “stood up too fast…”

Ren didn’t even get a chance this time to stop Makoto’s hand from flying to his forehead. He accepted defeat and closed his eyes, even leaned into her touch.

She gasped quietly, and he could feel her other hand coming up to hold his arm.

“Ren, you’re burning up. I knew it, you’re sick, aren’t you?”

He couldn’t deny it any longer. He nodded and sighed, causing another cough.

“I mean, maybe not it could-“ Another cough. “be allergies. I’m sure after a night’s rest it-“ And then another, louder than the last one. “i-it’ll be fine.”

Before Ren could protest, Makoto was pulling him away from the counter top and towards the stairs. He really didn’t want to admit defeat, but there was determination burning in Makoto’s eyes.

“You’re far from fine, you’re sick with a cold and a fever! I knew you sounded weird on the phone. You should have just told me you weren’t feeling well, Ren.”

As they entered the attic, Morgana was lazing around on the window sill. He lifted his head when he heard the footsteps and watched as Makoto forced Ren to sit.

“She found you out, didn’t she?” He sounded so smug. Ren hated it. But, there was a hint of relief in there as well.

“Shut up…”

Makoto went into full worry mode. She left Ren on the futon and went back downstairs. During those few moments, Ren wondered if he could somehow make his escape. A dumb idea, but it crossed his mind briefly.

His opportunity was gone as Makoto returned with the first aid kit in hand. She dropped it at the foot of his futon and sat next to him.

Her face was laced with worry and frustration. She fished out the thermometer from the kit and forcefully shoved it in his mouth before Ren could object.

“em serry.” Ren said.

Makoto’s eyes softened, but she shook her head and held the thermometer in her fingers.

“No talking.”

A few moments later, she pulled it out and frowned.

“39.7. Ren, you shouldn’t be up at all right now! You should be resting.”

Ren looked away, finding his bangs and rolling them between his fingers.

“I’m sorry… I didn’t want you to worry. I thought maybe I could sleep it off, or a fever reducing pill would do the trick.”

He felt childish in this moment. Despite the obvious signs that his body was under the attack from a cold, Ren refused to give in. Maybe that’s why he was still functioning with the fever. His determination was keeping him going somehow.

“You know that wasn’t the case.”

And he was caught again. The web of lies Ren was trying to weave was starting to fall apart.

He heard Makoto sigh. Soon, her hand cupped his cheek and she forced him to look at her. He didn’t resist her touch and followed her lead. It was then he started to realize how tired he was. His body ached, his throat was dry, and he just wanted to lay down and sleep. But Makoto wanted answers it seemed.

“You shouldn’t be pushing yourself so hard, Ren. And don’t tell me it was for my sake. You shouldn’t put some study date over your own health. We can spend time together later.”

Her voice was soft and kind. And she was right, Ren figured. But he had so many other commitments throughout the week. Throughout the month, if Ren was being honest. Having free time that aligned with her free time was becoming rare.

“It’s not just that. I mean, yes, I want to spend as much time with you as possible. Why wouldn’t I?” Another rough cough tore through his throat. “I love you, and I love being around you. And we haven’t had much time together this week, I… I missed you. And who knows when we’ll be free again. I didn’t want to pass up this opportunity. I didn’t want to pass up time with you.”

He felt childish, like a child admitting they stole the last cookie out of the cookie jar. Maybe he was becoming clingy. All he wanted was to spend some quality time with Makoto, and here she was, trying to take care of him instead. Ren felt like he completely ruined the evening.

However, Ren was confused when he felt Makoto lean forward and lay her head in the crook of his neck. If he wasn’t warm before, he sure was now. It wasn’t unusual for the two to be physically affectionate with each other, but it was rare for Makoto to initiate it first. He welcomed the change, though.

“I know we’ve been busy, and I’ve missed you too, you know. But you shouldn’t ever push yourself like this just for me. We have time to see each other, you know? We could have rescheduled for next week, or even the week after that.” Makoto said, nuzzling lightly against his neck.

Ren closed his eyes and tilted his head towards hers.

“Couldn’t have… I-I have commitments until the end of the month. Today was one of the few free days I had. And I spent most of it with Ryuji this afternoon…”

She pulled away from him, and Ren immediately missed her warmth. Instead, she was frowning at him.

“You have a commitment every single day of the month? Ren, what are you even doing?”

And he was back under questioning again. He supposed there was no hiding anything now.

So he told her about all his friends and part-time jobs. He told her how Ryuji was counting on him to help with a personal investigation.

He told her how Ms. Kawakami relied on him to keep her secret about a part-time job (Ren didn’t detail what type of job it was to Makoto, he saved that for another time).

He told her about all the friends he made around Tokyo, and how he helped them. How they relied on him.

Maybe it was the fever talking, but he also told her about the three different jobs he juggled, depending on when he was free. The supplies they needed for Momentos and Palace trips weren’t cheap, even with Tae’s generous discount and Iwai’s support.

Makoto kept her eyes on him, listening to each word.

He ended with a sigh and held a hand to his head. The fever was starting to take full effect, and Ren was beginning to feel exactly how tired he was.

Part of him was expecting Makoto to start scolding him for letting his cold get this far. Something along the lines of _‘You should have stayed home the moment you felt sick! You shouldn’t have even gone to school, let along a movie theater’_.

But there was silence between them. Ren lowered his hand and looked over at her hesitantly.

Makoto looked mad. Both of her hands were balled up into fists on her lap, her eyes burned into him and Ren braced himself for the scolding of a lifetime.

Instead, he felt Makoto’s hand pull him down gently. A moment later, Ren found his head on her lap. He blinked and tilted his head backwards, finding her face. The anger was still somewhere in her eyes, but there were traces of relief and… sadness in them now instead.

“Makoto, what are you—”

His voice died in his throat when he felt her fingers in his hair. Ren hated to admit it, but if there was one thing that always caught him off guard, it was this. He wasn’t sure when Makoto had found out, maybe during one of the numerous times they were cuddling, but his ultimate weakness was this. If Ren had to pick a spirit animal, it was probably a cat. Futaba often compared him to one.

‘You look like a human embodiment of a cat. You stretch like one, you move like one, and I _swear_ you’ve purred before.’ Was what she had said. At the time, Ren denied the claim, but secretly, he knew Futaba hit the nail on the head.

Makoto’s fingers were gentle, smoothing out his hair and tracing idle patterns on his scalp. Against his will, Ren felt his eyes flutter shut and he unconsciously leaned into her touch.

“You’re stupid… so, so stupid.” She murmured.

He cracked an eye open to peek at her. She shook her head in disappointment and let out a breath.

“No wonder you’re sick, you’ve been running yourself ragged. You’re trying to meet with someone every day of the week and juggle three part-time jobs on top of that. Your body is wearing down, love.”

Ren hummed in response, which caused another cough.

“I know… I know… but I can’t let them down. They’re relying on me to help them.”

“And what good is it going to do if you can’t even walk without feeling faint? You’re in no condition to help anyone. Ren, no one’s going to fall apart if you take one week, or even a day, to yourself. They’ll understand. Remember, you’re not alone anymore, love. You can rely on the rest of us. And you can certainly rely on me.”

He felt a hand cup his cheek. Ren turned to look at her. Worry filled her features, and it made him feel a bit guilty. He reached up to caress her cheek, brushing his fingers lightly against her. Then, he sighed in defeat and closed his eyes again.

He had been so focused on helping everyone else, he’d neglected his own wellbeing in the process. From a long time ago, Ren remembered hearing somewhere that everyone had a fatal flaw. Some weakness that could kill a person in the end. If Ren had to guess his own fatal flaw, it was probably sympathy. Often, he placed other’s needs in front of his own. He gave people the benefit of the doubt, sometimes when they didn’t even deserve it. He was the type of person who could see the good in everyone, even if it was the tiniest sliver of one.

Maybe that’s why people found it so easy to talk to him. He could sympathize with anyone, regardless of their situation.

Finally, Ren accepted defeat.

“I guess you’re right.”

She snorted.

“You guess?”

“Alright, you _are_ right. I shouldn’t have pushed myself so hard. It was silly of me. I’m sorry for worrying you, Makoto.”

“You better be.”

She brushed the hair out of Ren’s eyes and leaned down to kiss his forehead, pulling back slightly. She held his gaze and spoke with sincerity.

“From now on, I’ll remind you to stop and smell the roses. I’ll remind you to take a break every now and then, okay?”

He could tell the stern face she was trying so hard to hold was falling. She looked like she wanted to slap him, and Ren couldn’t blame her, honestly. But he wasn’t expecting the somewhat corny line from her. Somehow, it was definitely a Makoto thing. He laughed at the sight, causing her to blush slightly.

“D-Don’t laugh at me! I’m being serious here, Ren!”

He rubbed his eyes and settled into her lap again. He reached up to brush her hair out of her face, giving her a warm smile.

“I know, love. Thank you, Makoto.”

“You’re such a sweet talker…”

“You know you love it.”

The blush never left her face.

“Stupid.”

He closed his eyes again and sighed contently.

“I know I am.”

“I love you anyway.”

“I love you, too.”


End file.
